Carton carrier



May 20, 1958 W. B. .FAHRENBACH CARTON CARRIER Original Filed Oct. 14, 1954 INVENTOR. WOLFGANG B. FAHRENBACH ATTORNEYS United States Patent CARTON CARRIER Wolfgang B. Fahrenbach, Oakland, Calitl, assignor to Edlo, Incorporated Original application October 14, 1954, Serial No. 462,347. Divided and this application December 19, 1955, Serial No. 553,998

3 Claims. (Cl. 206--65) This invention relates tocarriers for milk cartons for use in carrying a plurality of flat top type rectangular milk cartons. This application is a division of application, Serial No. 462,347, filed October 14, 1954.

Her'etofore, various types of carrier devices have been proposed to carry two or more milk cartons of the flat top type, but such carriers have been relatively expensive and have not been usable commercially because of the great increase in cost attending their use as compared to the cost of packaging the contentsin separate containers.

The main objectof this present invention is the provision of an improved, yet extremely simple carrier means, that is inexpensive to make and which permits the packaging of two or more flat top type milk cartons together without danger of the assembly coming apart or otherwise failing.v

Another object of the invention is the provision of ai carrier handle that'is formed so that the tabs or flaps employed to support the cartons are struck from a sheet of semirigid sheet material such as cardboard and yet that such tabs or flaps are an integral part of the handle of the carton carrier device.

Still another object of this invention is the provision of a carton carrier handle that may be formed without any cutouts. In this connection it should be noted that in devices of this nature, it is sometimes undesirable to form the device so as to require portions to be entirely out or punched out of the parent sheet of material because certain production hazards sometimes exist that are not present when no portions of the sheet are removed.

Yet another object of the present invention is the provision of a milk carton carrier device that is pleasing in appearance, functional in design, and capable of inspiring the confidence of the ultimate purchaser in its greater convenience and practicability.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent in the drawings and specification in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of the preferred handle of the carton carrier device before it is folded.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of the top of a pair of cartons with the band broken away to show the handle of Fig. l in engagement with the cartons.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the handle of Fig. 1 as folded.

Figs. 4, 5 show a modified form of'handle.

Fig. 6 shows in use another modified handle.

Figs. 7, 8 are perspective views of the modified form of handle used in Fig. 6.

Referring to Fig. 1, it is seen that the handle blank 1 for the device is preferably slitted as at 2, 3, thus dividing the lower end of the handle into three tabs 4, 5, 6 (Figs. 1, 3). The upper limits of slits 2, 3, is defined by a transverse score line 7 which permits the tabs 4, 5, 6 to be bent to the positions shown in Fig. 3.

As hereinbefore stated, the handle 1 is adapted for use with a pair or more of rectangular flat top type milk cartons. Such cartons as indicated at A and B (Figs.

'ice

2, 4, 6) are customarily fitted with a perimetrically extending outwardly opening recess immediately adjacent the upper wall of said cartons A, B. The upper wall of the cartons thus forms a horizontal, outwardly directed lip 8 which extends outwardly of the said recess formed below the upper wall of the carton. It is this lip 8 that the tabs 4, 5, 6 are adapted to engage and support for carrying the assembled package of milk cartons A, B.

A means for inserting the handle blanks between a pair of milk cartons is completely described inmy copending application, Serial No. 462,347, filed October 14, 1954. However, for sake of description here it suffices to indicate that prior to insertion of the handle between a pair of milk cartons A, B, the central tab 6 is bent or folded outwardly to one side and upwardly to a position where it is substantially doubled over on the handle 1, and the outer tabs 4, 5 are similarly folded outwardly to the opposite side and upwardly to substantially the configuration indicated in Fig. 3.

The relatively smooth, rounded lower edge of the handle blank 1 thus formed facilitates the entrance of the blank 1 between the lips 8 of the cartons A, B.

The handle 1 is then pushed downward until the then upwardly directed edges 9, 10 (Fig. 3) of tabs 4, 5, and 6, respectively, are positioned below the said lips 8 of the cartons. This allows the tabs 4, 5, 6 to spring themselves into engagement with the underside of lips S at the innermost point of the said perimetrically extending recess (Fig. 2). It is understood of course that the material of which the handle blank 1 is formed is semirigid, and thus retains sufiicient restoring resiliency to accomplish this above described spring back of the tabs 4, 5, 6. At

this point the two cartons A, B may be banded together as by means of a relatively thin flexible band 12 which is placed below the upper edges of the cartons A, B, and surrounding the pair of them to maintain the said cartons v in the abutting relationship shown in Fig. 2.

the two or more banded together milk cartons, it is apparent that handle 1 may be used for carrying the package of cartons thus assembled.

The danger of the cartons A, B slipping out of the band 12 is obviated by the fact that the side walls of a. filled milk carton are somewhat bowed outwardly and are yieldable under applied forces. By tightly applying the band 12, the top of the milk cartons are brought into closer adjoining relationship while the bottoms are spread apart very slightly; this causes the centers of gravity of the two cartons to be shifted apart and displaced from the vertical thus creating a small moment about the bowed side walls of the cartons that tends to apply a slight tension to the band 12 sufficient to restrain the band from slipping.

For carrying and manipulation convenience finger holes 13 may be formed in the handle blank 1 (Figs. 1, 3).

Fig. 5 indicates a somewhat simplified modification of the carrying handle, generally designated 21. In this case the handle 21 is provided with the finger holes 13 the same as handle 1, but only one tab 22 is provided. In such a case greater reliance is placed on hand 12 to hold the cartons A, B together against the tendency for the handle 21 to be pulled out when the latter takes the weight of the two cartons of milk. However, it has been found that one such tab is adequate but the provision of two or more tabs as in handle 1 is preferred as giving a greater factor of safety.

As. previously stated in one of the objects of this invention, in manufacturing cardboard items such as the handle 1 it is often preferable not to require the removal of a portion of the blank if this can be avoided. The andle illustrated as still another modified form in, Figs. 7, 8 is advantageous for this reason. In this case, the handle 31 is formed with a score line or perforated line of weakness 32 as in the handles previously described. However, the portions 33 previously removed to. provide the finger holes 13 remain secured to the handle 31 by lines of weakness 34 and parallel lines of weakness 35 a P ded centrally to portions 33. By this structure a tab 36 may be folded to one side of handle 31 along line 32 and the portions 33 may be folded double along lines 35 and folded downwardly along lines 34 to the position of Fig. 8.

It will be seen that handle 31 may be employed in substantially the same manner as handle 1 except that a greater amount of material is inserted between the cartons making a safer connection (Fig. 6).

The above described structure should not be taken as restrictive of the invention asit is obvious that minor variations in design may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim;

1. A carrier for a pair of rectangular milk cartons having peripherally extending flanges at their upper ends comprising: a handle formed from a planar sheet of semirigid sheet material and provided with top and bottom edges, first and second lines of Weakness spaced from said bottom edge and parallel thereto, said sheet being folded on itself along said first line to provide a single thickness tab extending outwardly of one side of said sheet, a double thickness tab struck from said sheet and folded along said second line of weakness and along a third line spaced inwardly of said second line to provide a double thickness with said third line alongside said first line and with said double. thickness tab on the opposite side of said section from said first tab whereby said handle is adapted to be positioned between said cartons with said tabs respectively engaging under the adjacent flanges of said pair, and a separate collar around said upper ends for holding said cartons together.

2. In a carrier handle adapted to be positioned between a pair of rectangular milk cartons having peripherally extending flanges at their upper ends, a planar blank of sheet material, a tab struck from said blank' and hingedly secured thereto along a first line, said tab being folded over on itself along a second line spaced from said first line and folded against said blank along said first line whereby said blank and said folded-over tab may be received between said upper ends with said tab engaging under a flange of one of said pair.

3. In a carrier handle adapted to be positioned between a pair of rectangular milk cartons having peripherally extending flanges at their upper ends, a planar blank of sheet material, a tab struck from said blank and.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED- STATES PATENTS Cavalli et a1. Nov. 2, 1954 Greenlawet al Nov. 16, 1954 

